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2025 OPBA Annual Conference & Tradeshow Recap
The 2025 OPBA Annual Conference & Tradeshow, held September 17–19 at the Nottawasaga Resort in Alliston, brought together public procurement professionals from across Ontario for three inspiring days of learning, connection, and collaboration.
This year marked our first full tradeshow integrated with the conference — featuring 36 exhibitors connecting directly with attendees to showcase innovative solutions and services. We extend our sincere thanks to our partners, Kinetic GPO, OECM and Canoe Procurement, whose support was instrumental in introducing OPBA’s tradeshow to so many exhibitors. Conference sessions explored timely topics such as AI, innovation, legal strategy, and risk, sparking meaningful dialogue across the profession.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all our conference partners, sponsors, exhibitors, and presenters for their generous support and contributions in making this year’s event a success.
The week kicked off with two engaging pre-conference workshops and the always popular Caveat Emptor Golf Tournament, setting the tone for an outstanding event experience.
And to our attendees — thank you for your enthusiasm, participation, and dedication to advancing public procurement. You made this year’s conference one to remember!
📸 Photo Highlights: Enjoy a few favourite moments from the 2025 OPBA Annual Conference & Tradeshow below.
Visit the OPBA Member Portal to view the full gallery of conference photos and relive all the highlights from this year’s event.
We look forward to seeing everyone in London, September 22 – 25, 2026!
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OPBA’s Conference Visionary Partner and tradeshow exhibitor, Kinetic GPO
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OPBA Conference Tradeshow – Grainger Booth
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OPBA Conference Tradeshow – Safeware Booth
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OPBA Conference attendees proudly supporting My Sister’s Place, this year’s selected charity
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OPBA Conference Tradeshow – Canoe Procurement Booth
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OPBA Conference Tradeshow – Global Industries Booth
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Gordian connects with attendees at the OPBA Conference Tradeshow
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OECM at the OPBA Conference Tradeshow
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Tony De Sciscio and Stéphanie Dion of Canoe Procurement delivered an insightful session titled “Procurement Realities: The Good, The Bad, and the ‘Do We Really Do This?’”
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Tammy Rimes, National Cooperative Procurement Partners, presents “Let’s Get Cooking with Cooperative Procurement” alongside a panel of enthusiastic chefs including Tyler Hanneman of Canoe Procurement, Bill Roth of IAMS and SLAM Technologies, and Karen Judd of the City of Niagara Falls
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Many thanks to course instructor, Michelle Rasiulis, who led the pre-conference workshop, RFPs – A Step-by-Step Guide, to 16 participants
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bids&tenders at the OPBA Conference Tradeshow
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Congratulations to Cory Hallman, Chad Hunter, Zoran Trebenyatz, and Jeff Simwalt, winners of the 2025 Caveat Emptor Golf Tournament. Pictured are Cory Hallman and Chad Hunter
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Integrity on the fairway, excellence on the green. Celebrating the Most Honest Golfers of the 2025 Caveat Emptor Tournament! Pictured are Andrea Mouskas, James Jack, Will Melnyk and Shelley McNabb
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Caveat Emptor Golf Tournament organizers, Jason Wilhelm (l) and Scott Agnello (r) present the tournament trophy to Zoran Trebenyatz at the Awards Dinner
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Showing support for My Sister’s Place – OPBA Conference attendees proudly wear this year’s charity T-shirts
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Much appreciation to Marie Kavanagh and Michelle Trudel who welcomed 30+ participants to the People Leaders Meeting Wednesday morning
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🏆 Celebrating Excellence: 2025 OPBA Award Recipients
Each year, the OPBA Annual Conference provides an opportunity to celebrate members who are leading the way in public procurement through innovation, leadership, and service. At this year’s conference, held September 17–19 at the Nottawasaga Resort, we proudly recognized several outstanding individuals whose contributions continue to strengthen our profession and community.
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Victoria Mirlocca, OPBA Chair, presents the Principles Certificate Award of Distinction to Michelle Rasiulis, Chair of the OPBA Principles Working Group
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Marianne Smith, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, presents the Judy Wilson Emerging Leader Award to Costa Tsangarakis, City of Hamilton
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Victoria Mirlocca, City of Mississauga, receives Honourable Mention for the Dick Brimmel Award from OPBA Board Member Scott Agnello
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Judy Wilson Emerging Leader Award – Recipient: Costa Tsangarakis, City of Hamilton, with OPBA Board Member Michelle Trudel
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OPBA's Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL): A New Chapter in Learning
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You may recall that last month we introduced the Public Procurement Learning Lab - a new chapter in OPBA's commitment to education and professional development.
As the cornerstone of OPBA's educational offerings, PPLL provides a more comprehensive and meaningful learning experience through a blend of self-paced online modules and a virtual classroom session via Zoom in the final week.
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OECM Launches 3rd Generation EUC Agreement
OECM, Ontario’s trusted partner in collaborative strategic sourcing, proudly announces the launch of its third-generation End-User Computing (EUC) Products and Related Services Agreement. Since its initial introduction in 2012, the EUC Agreement has been instrumental in supporting Ontario’s Education, Municipal, and Broader Public Sector (BPS) customers.
Discover the benefits of the new EUC Agreement today at bit.ly/4hE6M9T
Contact Us
For more information, please contact OECM's dedicated Customer Support team via email at customersupport@oecm.ca.
Follow us on LinkedIn to stay updated on the latest OECM news and agreements.
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Event Recap: Peel Region, Brampton & Mississauga Business Morning
On September 9, Investissement Québec International hosted a Business Morning event bringing together procurement professionals from Peel Region, the City of Brampton, and the City of Mississauga, along with members of the business community, to strengthen connections and explore partnership opportunities.
Our OPBA members — Kristin Misurka and Tony Cetra from Peel Region, Victoria Mirlocca from the City of Mississauga, and Sean Morgan and Jodi Houston from the City of Brampton — delivered insightful presentations and engaged in dynamic discussions with vendors on public procurement practices and municipal collaboration.
The presentations and conversations helped foster a deeper understanding of public procurement and continue to build stronger ties between suppliers and our municipal partners across Peel Region.
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OPBA Mentorship Program: Round 2 Sign-Up Now Open!
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Whether you’re a seasoned
expert or just starting your public procurement journey, OPBA's Mentoring Program offers a unique opportunity to connect, learn, and grow alongside professionals you might not meet in your day-to-day work.
This program fosters meaningful networking, provides valuable feedback in a judgment-free environment, and supports the transfer of knowledge across generations—empowering both Mentors and Mentees to thrive in the dynamic world of public procurement.
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💡 Featured Read: Why You Need to Disclose Sub-Weightings
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In public procurement, transparency and consistency are not just best practices — they’re essential safeguards. In his recent article, Paul Emanuelli outlines why soliciting agencies should explicitly disclose sub-weightings in evaluation criteria to avoid hidden biases and defendability concerns.
Whether you’re drafting a new RFP or reviewing your evaluation methodology, this is a timely and practical read for procurement professionals at every level.
👉 Read the full article: “Why You Need to Disclose Sub-Weightings”
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New Members
OPBA warmly welcomes the following new members:
• Karen Marlow, City of Sault Ste. Marie
• Sarah Clark, Township of South Stormont
• Dave Musonge, Surrey Place
• Valerie Joseph, University of Ottawa
OPBA warmly welcomes the following new associates:
• Abby Oldfield, Mohawk Medbuy
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Upcoming Pro-D Webinars
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OPBA Fall Workshop: Before you Build – Risks to Consider when Planning and Procuring a Complex Construction Project
November 19, 2025
1 PM - 3 PM ET
Virtual Event
Registration closes November 17, 2025
Join us for a hands-on, practical session designed to help procurement professionals navigate the complex world of insurance and risk management. Our risk specialists will support a procurement professional as she navigates the procurement process for a multi-faceted construction project.
Key topics include:
• Procurement and risk management frameworks and strategies
• Types of insurance and when to apply them (featuring a high-level insurance matrix)
• Certificate of Insurance (COI) basics and best practices
• A deeper look at COIs: what to look for, what often goes wrong, and how to protect your organization
• Practical tips and lessons learned from the field
This session will be interactive and focused on real-world application. Come with your questions and leave with tools you can use.
Register Here
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Coffee with Counsel: Bill C-5: The One Canadian Economy Act – Impacts on Public Procurement
Dec 9, 2025
1 PM - 2 PM ET
Virtual Event
Registration closes December 5, 2025
In June 2025, the federal government passed Bill C-5, creating two new laws: the Building Canada Act, to fast-track national infrastructure projects, and the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act, to reduce interprovincial barriers. While federal in scope, these changes will affect local governments and broader public sector organizations, particularly in procurement and trade agreements.
This session builds on the article “Bill C-5 – Fast-Tracking National Interest Projects in Canada,” authored by McMillan LLP in the September issue of the Caveat Emptor newsletter, and will highlight what Bill C-5 means for public sector organizations, with a focus on opportunities, challenges, and practical considerations for procurement professionals.
Register Here
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UPCOMING PUBLIC PROCUREMENT SPECIALTIES (PPS) COURSES
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Supplier Performance
November 4, 2025
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET
Virtual Learning (Zoom)
Registration closes October 28, 2025
Contractor/Supplier/Consultant (Suppliers) Performance Program (the Program) sets out the guidelines for managing the performance of Suppliers. The program is administered in accordance with the agency’s procurement policy. The project manager is responsible for administering the program in accordance with the policy.
The purpose of this training is to provide support with supplier performance trends that will be assessed over both the short and long term to provide suppliers with feedback and to facilitate continuous improvement, where required. Feedback from the project manager to the supplier will be provided through written evaluation as described below.
Register Here
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UPCOMING PRINCIPLES COURSES
IMPORTANT NOTE: For the Virtual PPLL Principles Courses, please read the course description carefully to ensure you can attend the mandatory live Zoom session component. Attendance is required to earn your certificate.
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Principles - Co-operative Procurement
Course Access: November 1 – 30, 2025
Mandatory Live Zoom Session: Thursday, November 27, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM ET
Registration Deadline: October 24, 2025
This course gives an overview of the cooperative purchasing process in the public sector, describing the types, benefits, structure, legal considerations and challenges cooperative purchasing groups face. Attendees will be shown and discuss examples of constitutions, strategic plans, business plan reports, commodity listings and standard terms and conditions for public tenders issued by cooperative groups.
Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session
This course is delivered through OPBA’s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.
You’ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month. These tasks will all have deadlines assigned that will be mandatory to meet in order to successfully complete this course.
A mandatory live Zoom session will take place on Wednesday, November 27, 2025 at 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM ET. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.
Zoom link will be sent the week before the session.
Register Here
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Principles - Procurement and the Law
Course Access: November 1 – 30, 2025
Mandatory Live Zoom Session: Wednesday, November 26, 2025 | 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM ET
Registration Deadline: October 24, 2025
In this course the mysteries of the law and the relationship of the procurement agent to it are unraveled in a concise and easy to understand format. Candidates are given an overview of the issues and responsibilities related to entering into a legal contract as well as determining what comprises a contract. Other topics discussed are the Law of Agency, Contract Law, Laws of Competitive Bidding, comments on various Acts, bonding and alternatives to bonding.
Delivery Format: Self-paced online + mandatory live Zoom session
This course is delivered through OPBA’s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) using the Brightspace learning platform.
You’ll work through readings, quizzes, and assignments at your own pace throughout the month. These tasks will all have deadlines assigned that will be mandatory to meet in order to successfully complete this course.
A mandatory live Zoom session will take place on Wednesday, November 26, 2025 at 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM ET. Attendance is required to complete the course and earn your certificate.
Zoom link will be sent the week before the session.
Register Here
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Manager, Procurement Services
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Advertising and Sponsored Content in the Caveat Emptor enews:
The OPBA is diversifying its revenue sources so that we are not solely reliant on revenue generated through membership fees. Our goals are to strengthen the financial health of the association and continue to deliver valued member services while maintaining a reasonable cost of membership. We appreciate the support of our partner vendors and suppliers, many of whom have advertising and sponsored content in this enews. Articles provided by advertisers are solely for the purpose of raising awareness. OPBA does not endorse, promote, or advocate any products and services..
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www.opba.ca | Media Kit | Archive
The Ontario Public Buyers Association (OPBA) is a not-for-profit professional association
representing public procurement professionals throughout Ontario. We promote the ethical and effective expenditure of public funds and encourage excellence in public purchasing through our continuing professional development opportunities, the encouragement of certification programs and through networking among our members.
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